Denver’s newest transportation app is expanding into the City of Centennial, making it easier for residents and visitors there to find the shortest, cheapest, and most sustainable way to get from Point A to Point B. Go Centennial, powered by Xerox and an extension of the Go Denver app, includes in-app booking for Lyft, marking the first time a mobile app and ridesharing organization have come together to meet the needs of transit users in this way.
“Go Centennial aims to help people who choose not to drive their own car,” said Centennial Mayor Cathy Noon. “It delivers on the promise of urban mobility by combining technology and public-private partnerships solving the first-mile-last-mile challenge of taking transit.”
How Go Centennial Works for Residents and Visitors
The app takes an individual’s destination and desired arrival time and calculates the different routes available, categorized by “sooner,” “cheaper,” and “greener.” It aggregates and calculates the time, cost, carbon footprint, and health benefits from walking, biking, driving, parking, taking public transit, as well as the emerging ride-hailing transportation options – such as Lyft, Zipcar, Car2Go, and FlitWays – giving users a variety of ways to reach their destination while taking into account real-time traffic conditions.
Go Centennial features in-app booking with Lyft, which means riders will no longer be directed outside of the app to book a trip.
For a six-month period, the City of Centennial and the Denver South Transportation Management Association will offer free Lyft Line rides to and from the Dry Creek Light Rail Station. People who live or work within the existing Dry Creek Call-n-Ride service area have three choices to receive free Lyft Line rides: booking through Go Centennial or the Lyft app, or calling dispatchers at the City of Centennial.
“Lyft is committed to working with cities and transit to be a first-mile-last-mile transportation solution, which is why we are thrilled to partner with Centennial to offer free Lyft rides to and from the Dry Creek Light Rail Station,” said Lyft General Manager Gabe Cohen. “This pilot is the first of its kind in the nation, and we expect many other cities in Colorado and across the country to follow the innovative leadership of the City of Centennial.”
Senior Mobility
The “Silver Tsunami” is already happening in Centennial where it’s predicted that 15 years from now at least 30 percent of the population will be over the age of 65. Noon sees transportation as an important way of connecting seniors to the community at large. To this end, the City has created training sessions to teach seniors how to use the app and get around using ridesharing services, like Lyft.
Centennial has also partnered with nonprofit Via Mobility Services to provide accessible transportation services to passengers who are living with disabilities or who require the use of wheelchairs or other mobility devices.
Guidance for City Planners
Another advantage of the app is urban insight. Users’ destination and preferred travel mode data is anonymously shared with the City to provide insights on how get around. This information is helpful for cities as they look to improve and build new transportation infrastructure.
“As a relatively new city founded just 15 years ago, Centennial is an ideal choice to adopt a mobility platform of this kind,” said David Cummins, senior vice president, Mobility Solutions, Xerox. “Beyond the seamless travel experience for citizens, the program will help the City glean important information it can use to advance transportation systems.”
